Love and Nostalgia
by The Swimming Fish
Summary: Fred is smitten. Absolutely smitten. Very first fic! :D Ignores book 7, because I love Fred and I don't like that he died. On HIATUS, I'm sorry dears. I've lost inspiration, hopefully I'll return to this soon.
1. Chapter 1

Fred walked into the Burrow with his arm around Ella.

"Ah, good to be home. Sort of," Fred joked, "Hang on, you've got to meet my family. I think it may just be Ickle Ronniekins here today though, which would mean…" Fred got a wicked gleam in his eye, and Ella waited patiently for his methods to become clear.

"OY, RON! COME 'ERE!" Fred bellowed at the top of his lunges. Five years and he hadn't changed a bit.

Ron and Hermione came tottering down the stairs, both looking flustered with pink cheeks.

"Hermione! What a surprise to see you here!" Fred said in exaggerated shock. "Now now Ronnie, you haven't been fooling around, have you?" he said with an evil grin and a conspiratorial wink towards Ella. Ron opened his mouth, closed it, and reddened even more.

"Never mind that," Fred said, "_this_ is Ella."

"So he _didn't_ make you up," Ron said, recovering from Fred's teasing with only half a humorous tone, his eyes taking in Fred's fiancé. She was tall and thin, with pale white skin and huge blue eyes that roamed around the house in wonder, causing her to blink her long dark eyelashes rapidly. They lit up when she met Ron's gaze and he couldn't help but notice the intelligence in those sky hued eyes. She had honey blonde hair that looked soft to the touch and a few freckles on her nose.

"Ron, I'm hurt. You didn't believe me?" Fred said mockingly.

"Not a bit," Ron deadpanned. "Oh!" He said, "well, as you know, I'm Ron, and well," Ron turned noticeably pinker as he turned to his girlfriend, "this is Hermione."

"Nice to meet you both," Ella grinned and shook both their hands, revealing perfect white teeth. "This is the neatest house I've ever been in," she said in awe, and Ron realized she had a distinctly American accent.

"You American?" he said, puzzled. He didn't know Fred had been to America.

"Yeah," she said sheepishly, "Please don't judge me on the stereotypes; don't know what we did to deserve those."

"You invented McDonalds," Fred said with a grin on his face, "and for that you will have to pay." With this, he grabbed her around the waist and she shrieked and laughed, jumping away at the slightest pinch.

"She's bloody ticklish," Fred said knowingly, "barely even have to touch her."

"So is Hermione," said Ron with a smile at Ella, and he suddenly turned to find Hermione. There she was, standing right where they had left her, looking at her shoes. Why was she being so quiet? He put his arm on her shoulders and gently pulled her closer. She left her eyes on the ground.

"So you went to America and didn't even tell me?" Ron asked Fred after a minute.

"Ah, sorry little brother, had a last minute business trip. Went to New York for a day to get some business advice, and look what I got instead," Fred said with a smirk. Ella blushed—if you could call it that, her cheeks only gaining a slightly rosy tint—apparently not liking the idea that she was won over in a day.

"You didn't 'GET' me," Ella said, wrinkling her nose, "if I remember correctly, mister, you nearly had to drag me out to that dinner you invited me to." Fred rolled his eyes.

"She was playing hard to get," he said with a straight face, "but nothing a little love potion couldn't fix." Fred grinned now, losing his poker face. Ella slapped him on the arm, hard enough for Fred to jump back a little and Ron to grin at her in an impressed manor.

"You know Fred, I reckon you got a keeper," he said with a smile and a shake of his head, "This one looks like she can keep you in line."

"Really?" Fred asked sarcastically, "I never thought of that!" He turned to Ella, "Will you marry me! Oh, wait," Fred stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head on her shoulder and smiling affectionately, "I believe I _have_ already thought of that."


	2. Chapter 2

Fred leaned against the window sill in his old room—George wouldn't be coming home for another week, and until then he would have his old room to himself… and Ella of course. After that they would move into another room—his mum decided he and Ella should have a room to themselves, and his father had agreed wholeheartedly. Ella was currently wrapped in his arms, leaning against him. He ran his fingers through her hair. He had caught Ron looking at her hair—he supposed it _was_ rather marvelous hair, now that he could feel it glide between his fingers, silky smooth and soft. Not only was it luxurious and soft, but it was beautiful too. If he didn't know better, he would've thought Ella was part veela. She was the most beautiful woman on the planet to him.

They looked out the open window together, the moon large and bright in the sky, stars splattered randomly, and a cool breeze drifting into the room. She looked at the currently still, sleeping garden that was normally bursting with life, with gnomes and plants and animals taking up every space. Flowers overflowed from baskets, tall grass swayed in the field, and the tiny village beyond the hill, just in view, was bathed in a silvery glow. He looked at the sky, his mind filling with pictures of his family meeting Ella, his mum nearly bawling her head off, Ron grinning and joking with him, Percy offering a rare smile… it had gone well, to say the least. He smiled subconsciously, tightening his arms around her slightly. When his hand brushed her cheek while stroking her hair, he felt her cheeks tighten and knew that her lips were pulling up in a smile.

He heard the tiniest contented sigh from her before she barely breathed the words, "I want to stay here."

Fred wanted to kiss her, she was so beautiful, so wonderful, never mind she was American and would have to travel far away, he would follow her, because she was his and she was marvelous. But he felt the deep comfort in the moment and so he didn't move, just whispered gently in her ear, "Good, because I love you, and don't know if I could let you leave."

Fred wasn't sure how long they stayed like that before they finally pulled away and crawled into bed. He wrapped his arm around her waist as she lay next to him, his body fitting hers perfectly, like they were made for each other. He rubbed her back softly until he heard her breathing even out into slow, deep breaths. He watched her, her face glowing in the moon light, relaxed and peaceful. He lay awake, thinking about this girl, this woman he loved so much. Fred wasn't sure how long it was before he finally fell asleep. To be quite honest, he really didn't care.


	3. Chapter 3

"YOU must be Ella!" Fred heard Ginny shriek before he saw her, running into the kitchen and lurching to a stop in front of Ella.

Ella grinned, "And YOU must be Ginny," she said with a slight laugh in her voice. Ginny smiled widely, and hugged Ella.

"I've just been _dying_ to meet you; I can't believe it took Fred this long to bring you here," Ginny babbled, "And—Oh Harry! Come in here! Fred's brought Ella!" she quickly shouted over her shoulder at hearing the door front door open and close again. Seconds later, Harry walked in, and strode over next to Ginny.

"Hello," he said cheerfully to Ella, giving her a smile, "Don't let Ginny scare you, she'll calm down in a couple minutes," he teased. Ginny swatted at his arm, but he grabbed her fingers and kissed them.

Harry turned to Fred, "Hey Fred, it's been a while."

"Right you are Harry," Fred grinned. "It's been long enough that I'd forgotten how cozy you were with my sister. You realize that if you get too close to her, I might bite you?"

"Might as well bite me now then mate," Harry grinned and winked, and Ginny turned slightly pink at Harry's implications.

"Don't worry, I'll restrain him," Ella put on a mocking tough face, then grinned at Harry and Ginny.

"See, it just wouldn't be fair to let you have _all_ the fun," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Ah yes, but you see my dear friend, we are engaged. It is quite different," Fred said, waggling his ring at the two of them.

"Funny you should mention engagements," Harry said, a little more seriously, with a glance at Ginny, "because—"

It was then that Fred noticed something glinting on Ginny's fourth finger on her left hand. His jaw fell open and he stared. He didn't even hear the rest of Harry's sentence. Several moments later, he saw Ella's hand waving in front of his eyes.

"Earth to Fred! Hello…" she was saying.

"W-when were you p-planning on telling us!" Fred stammered.

Ginny gave a small cough. "Tonight," she squeaked. She smiled bashfully at Harry, who put his arm around her and kissed her temple.

"Sorry," he said, "Just couldn't wait. Too damn exciting. I've been waiting to be able to tell someone that for years," he said softly. Ginny nodded. Apparently there was some sort of understanding between everyone at this statement. Everyone except Ella, but she wasn't about to ask.

"Well… Hell, Congratulations!" Fred finally managed.

"Yeah, congrats!" Ella beamed, and Harry and Ginny smiled back at her enthusiasm and American accent. They figured Fred had told her about them, but probably not about what had happened here five short years ago. She looked pretty young, and being an American witch, she probably wouldn't know about much about Voldemort. Surprisingly enough, his terror hadn't struck America as much. Few Death Eaters lived there, and therefore few people experienced his evil first hand. Harry actually thought it was kind of nice, that she wouldn't ogle at him and ask him about it. She just treated him like another person, which Harry was still getting used to.

So when she beamed at their news, even though she hardly knew the struggle behind it, Harry realized he genuinely like this woman.

"Say, aren't you two a little young to be getting engaged?" Fred asked suspiciously, "Aren't you both, what, five now?"

Ginny sighed. "21 is perfectly old enough to get married, Fred, and Harry's 22 now."

"Am I the oldest one in this family to get married!" Fred said, exasperated. 25 is a perfectly acceptable age to be married, Fred decided. It's when most people get married. Though Ella was still much younger than him, he knew she was mature and ready. She was only Harry's age, but she proved herself over and over again that she was ready and that she loved him enough that she didn't want to wait.

"Well, at the rate Ron's going he'll never be married," Harry joked, "I mean, we all know _who_ he'll ask, but honestly, if he doesn't hurry it up they'll never tie the knot."

"I heard that," Ron mumbled as he came down the stairs in his pajamas. It was late morning, and sunlight streamed through the Burrow's kitchen windows. Ron was usually up much earlier than this, and Fred decided to point this out.

"So Ronnie, what kept you in bed so long?" Fred asked with a suggestive grin.

Ron frowned at him, "I didn't sleep much last night. And NO, not for the reason you're thinking." Fred knew that Ron had had to beg and do extra chores for ages to finally get their mum to cave and let Hermione stay in his room. Harry was supposed to stay in there too, now that he had arrived, but Fred figured he would probably stay with Ginny once he broke the news about their engagement to the family.

"Where is Hermione?" Ella suddenly asked, a concerned looked crossing her face.

Ron's frown deepened, "Well, okay, I guess you were kind of right Fred, I was up with Hermione," Ron carried on, and Fred's eyebrows went up in shock. Ron was extremely protective and old-fashioned when it came to Hermione. If Ron said they hadn't done anything, Fred was quite sure they hadn't. "But not in the way you think," Ron continued, "She hasn't been feeling well since yesterday, and she was up all night feeling sick. I stayed up with her, but honestly, I don't know what the matter is." Ron cringed inwardly at his half lie.

True, Hermione had been feeling quite ill, but she hadn't been up sick, she had been up crying, and as Ron had stroked her hair and wiped her tears, he had realized she was simply exhausted and nostalgic. She had told him that Ella looked like one of the only Muggle friends she had had in primary school, but that friend had died in a car crash and Hermione was left alone, and that Hermione had seen Ella and felt that aloneness sweeping over her again. Hermione also choked out that she had seen Ron _looking_ at her, and it had brought up many of her doubts about her appearance again. Ron had cleaned her up and kissed her, telling Hermione that she was the most beautiful person in the world to him, tucked her in and finally sat holding her hand until she fell asleep. By then, it was extremely early in the morning, and Ron had got little sleep. He let Hermione sleep in, but he knew she would be up soon.

Ginny frowned at Ron's news. "Well, maybe I'll whip her up a Pepperup Potion or something," she puzzled.


	4. Chapter 4

Fred lay next to Ella in the bed they shared, her curled against him.

Fred thought about the day—it had been a good one, no doubt. Ella seemed to like Ginny and Harry, and was thrilled to have met Teddy. Teddy was only five years and a couple months old, but he had grown up considerably since the last time Fred had seen him. Fred could see the pride in Harry's eyes as he watched his Godson fly around on a toy broomstick, then change his hair blue and back. They all missed Lupin and Tonks, no doubt about that, and everyone clung to Teddy's existence and blatant happiness, as it was all that anyone had left of them.

"You know Fred," Ella said, propping herself up on one arm, "I like your family and all, but none of them quite measure up to you."

Fred grinned, "Oh, wait until you meet George. You'll never know what hit you. Confused our own mum, we did."

"I'll be able to tell you apart," she said, quite sure of herself.

Fred rolled towards her. "Yeah? And why are you so sure of that?"

Ella kissed him quickly, "Because I'll know you're the one who keeps trying to kiss me!" she laughed.

"Hey now, you're the one who keeps trying to snog me!" Fred said indignantly. Ella widened her eyes and made a puppy face. Fred groaned as he leaned in and began snogging her.

"Damn, don't do that!" he mumbled from her neck, where he had begun kissing gently.

"I told you so," she said laughing while she kissed near Fred's ear. Fred rolled her onto her back and climbed on top of her.

"Now now missy, I will not be accepting any attitude from you," Fred mocked.

"Mm, that's too bad," Ella said seductively, squirming underneath him until she was comfortable and Fred was nearly dying of wanting, "But I suppose you'll want to give me an attitude adjustment?" She raised an eyebrow, and Fred didn't wait.

"That's not why I'm marrying you, but it was definitely taken into consideration before I said yes," she said a little while later.

"Yeah right," Fred grinned, "You didn't even think before you said yes. You wanted me."

She laughed. "Okay, maybe. I believe I had good reasons though, don't you?" she said, rolling over and pecking him softly on the lips.

"I like to think so," he said, smiling.


	5. Chapter 5

"GRED!"

"FORGE!"

The rest of the family had to clap their hands over their ears to save them from the loudest reunion in their memory. Ella turned in her seat to see a man identical to her fiancé striding into the room, where the two men embraced each other. She smiled widely; Fred wasn't often openly affectionate. His twin, she supposed, didn't fall under that rule.

George looked around the room, taking in his beaming family. His eyes landed on Ella and widened ever so slightly.

"Oy, who's the pretty little bird?"

"Oh, you mean Ella?" Fred asked, faking nonchalance. "My fiancé?"

There was a moment of silence before George absolutely roared, "Congratulations! I knew you had it in you!"

"Hey," Fred pouted, "are you implying you doubted my abilities to catch a beautiful, intelligent and fun woman? I'm very charming, you know."

"No, that's me," said George, smirking, "You were the one who got smacked upside the head when you talked to women."

"That was only ONCE!" Fred said in an injured voice.

"Yeah yeah, say what you like. It doesn't change the facts!" George sang.

"BOYS!" Molly Weasley yelled. They both froze and looked at her with trepidation. There was no question where they got their lungs from. She looked at them sternly, then her face broke into a warm smile. "George, it's lovely to see you dear, please come in. Fred, quiet down, you're going to set the whole house in an uproar."

"What!" Fred yelped, "George gets a warm welcome and I get a scolding? He's just as loud as I am!"

"Aw, poor baby," Ella mocked. Mrs. Weasley smiled and chuckled.

"I feel like the fist of injustice is beating on me from all directions," Fred moaned, looking from his mother to his fiancé. George patted him on the back consolingly, before smacking him on the back of the head. Fred yelped and ducked.

"Stop being such a drama queen," George laughed as Fred tenderly patted his head. Fred grinned. As George made his way over to the rest of the family scattered about the room, he mumbled in Fred's ear, "This is what happens when you get married. Attacks from all sides and you don't even fight! You're whipped." George winked and Fred gave George his very best death glare.

"I am _not_ whipped," he hissed.

George gave a snort that sounded oddly like the word, 'right,' and continued on.

George made his way around, nodding to Percy and Bill, giving Fleur a warm hug, cuffing Ron on the side of the head and receiving a subdued hug from Hermione. The ever fierce brunette seemed down, though she was chatting on and off with other family members. George turned to his father, about to open his mouth in greeting when something petite with flaming red hair flew through the door and tackled him.

"G-Ginny," George gasped, eyes watering and the wind knocked out of him, "Good to see you," he panted. Ginny was wrapped around George's middle, squeezing the life out of him in a hug. George looked over to the door and saw Harry running up the garden path, out of breath and flushed. Harry leaned on the door frame, chest heaving.

"H… Hey… George," Harry gasped, "We were up in the field playing a little one-on-one Quidditch when we heard a shouting match. Ginny figured you were home."

George laughed and walked over to Harry (nearly dragging Ginny, who was still hugging him) and shook his hand. "I heard you two are engaged? Congratulations—it's good to see you, mate."

Harry grinned. "And you," he said. "How's business going? Where were you, again?" Fred had walked over with Ella to join the little circle. He wanted to hear how his brother's trip had gone.

"I was in Peru," George started. "Just picking up some more Peruvian darkness powder. I was also looking into getting a little Peruvian Vipertooth venom for a new product; I meant to tell you Fred, I was thinking… Err, I was…" George trailed off. He was staring at Ella with a distinctly confused face. Fred and everyone else turned to look at her. Her eyes had glazed over a little and she had the expression that she was struggling with something.

"You… You okay, love?" Fred asked. Ella's eyes never lost the glazed look, but she seemed to come a little more into the present at the sound of Fred's voice.

"A Peruvian Vipertooth is- is a dragon… isn't it?" Her brow was furrowed and she gave the impression that she was thinking very hard about something, as if trying to bully her brain into coming up with some ridiculously hard answer.

"Err, yeah," George said hesitantly, a very concerned look on his face, "They're really small, see, and pretty fast… They all have an unfortunate liking for humans, so they're really dangerous. They get a XXXXX rating in 'Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them,' I'm pretty sure. Their venom is particularly nasty, but it's nothing Fred and I can't handle." George finished with an attempted grin. However, he still seemed concerned enough about Ella that it didn't look so charming as it normally did. He frowned, "Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of dragon keepers that want to get close enough to get venom, so it's really hard to come by." Ella nodded, though it didn't look like she had taken in much of what he had said.

"Are you sure you're okay love?" Fred said, slightly alarmed. He wondered if somehow something had gotten into her supper or tea—there were always things lying around in the Weasley house.

"I'm fine," mumbled Ella. Her frown deepened, and Fred desperately wanted to know what was puzzling her.

"How about I take you upstairs?" He asked quietly. She nodded, still frowning.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello friends! I'm sorry this took me so incredibly long... I seem to have lost my knack for this story between the traveling and the self-image changing... But anyway, this isn't about me, this is about the story! I hope you all enjoy. :)_

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><p>Fred closed the door to his old room softly. George would be sharing with Charlie, so he didn't need to worry about anyone barging in. At least, probably not.<p>

He turned to Ella, ignoring all thoughts of his family barging in.

"Okay, what was all that about?" He asked, trying not to sound too eager. She still looked extremely dazed. Fred was starting to get extremely worried. Had she been cursed, or hit by a wayward spell accidentally? He walked to the window, pretending to open if for some air, and discretely pointed his wand at her, nonverbally casting a spell to reveal any enchantment on her. If she had been the subject of a spell, she would have glowed softly. However, she stayed as normal as ever in the dimming afternoon light.

"Fred?" she asked hesitantly. Fred sat beside her on the bed, peering into her face.

"Yes, love?" He held his breath.

"You… you know about—about my not-childhood?" she asked painfully slowly. Fred tipped his head. She always called it her 'not-childhood.' Fred had always assumed she had had an unfortunate childhood, but had never pressed for details. He figured she had her reasons for not sharing.

He shook his head minutely.

She closed her eyes. He couldn't tell if she was thinking, stealing herself for a decision, trying to remember… or maybe all of those things.

"My very first memory is from when I was nine. It's blurry, you see, at best…" she hesitated yet again. Fred couldn't help an impatient motion for her to continue. "I… I was at St. Mungo's… I didn't know it at the time… and that's all I remember." She frowned. "It seems strange now… my parents told me I'd never been out of the country, but St. Mungo's is here, in England…" She swallowed. "All my memories from then on are from when I was ten, and they go on from there. There's no… no memories from before then. That's why it's not a childhood. My parents had to tell me my name, had to tell me everything. Of course, I don't really remember that… but I do remember thinking what an awful name Eleanor was, so I asked if I could be called Ella… And," she faltered, "and that made my parents sad…"

Fred frowned. This seemed like a big thing to just be telling him now.

"Why…" Fred tried to figure out what he was asking. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She blinked at him. "It didn't seem like a big deal. I was in an accident, I guess. That's why I forgot everything… But I remember everything after that. They said I might get my memory back… but I don't think they believed it."

"So… so why did you act so strange when George mentioned the Vipertooth?" Fred asked, puzzled again. Her face clouded again.

"Because it made me… remember… something," she said, "from… before." Her brow furrowed in frustration. "Or, at least I almost remembered. I couldn't quite get it." She let out a long, aggravated sigh.

Fred reached out an arm and rubbed her back gently. She leaned her head on his shoulder and yawned.

"Man! This thinking and remembering is hard business!" Ella suddenly said adamantly. Fred chuckled. Ella slumped against Fred, shrinking into a ball with her head on his lap. He leaned down and kissed her temple. Fred became lost in thought, stroking her marvelous long hair, as Ella slowly drifted off to sleep. When she was fully asleep, Fred shifted her so her head was on the pillow, and he crept softly from the room before he could hear her mutter, "Caphis…"

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><p><em>For those of you who are a touch confused, Caphis is a name (for a male, in case you weren't sure) that I liked from the Shakespearean play 'Timon of Athens'.<em>


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